In this age of high-speed broadband Internet connectivity
and Voice over IP telephony, you might be surprised to learn that modems
continue to pose a significant risk to the security of many organisations. The
oversight is understandable: gone are the days when users gained remote access
through banks of dial-up modems and Remote Access Servers. However, dial-up
modems have not disappeared - they've just disappeared from view.

Not least, this has been as a direct consequence of the
rapid commoditisation of computer technology, and its corresponding penetration
into all levels of infrastructure. Everything from the network printer through
to heating & ventilation, power management/monitoring & backup,
building access control, voicemail and the telephone system are based around a
core computer. What's more, these devices bear little resemblance to their
'dumb' ancestors. They run highly capable mainstream operating systems (such as
Windows, Linux and Unix). With such a capable system, the incremental cost to
the vendor of adding a modem is insignificant, yet this small modification has
a potentially huge impact on lowering total cost of ownership for the customer.
The combination of a modem and a powerful operating system make remote
maintenance practical, offering the potential for both more responsive and more
cost-effective systems management.

The down side is that these devices are also vulnerable to
the same software bugs and configuration flaws as their host operating system.
Without knowing where all of these devices are, the systems that they give
access to and how well they have been secured, the sort of unrestricted access
that modems provide can pose a real threat to business continuity. What's more,
since modems give direct access through the telephone system, they bypass the
protection offered by your firewall and any network-based intrusion
detection/prevention systems.

Pragmatically, one of the easiest ways to determine your
exposures is by using a tool such as Xiscan to scan your telephone network and
see what's there. (For more information on why we think it's something you
really should consider, please take a moment to look at our
modem security
FAQ.)

Even if you are not convinced by the security arguments,
there's a further compelling reason to scan your telephone system, especially
in today's harsh economic climate. The potential to reap significant ongoing
savings in operating costs, with a typical ROI well in excess of 100% in the
first year alone.

In part, this stems from our tools' ability to identify fax
devices. Not only can this assist in inventory management (with potential
savings in support costs), but it can also help you consolidate your fax
requirements into a more cost-effective solution. However, it's also due to our
toolset's unique ability to identify unused telephone lines. This feature can
greatly assist in capacity management and planning:

redeployment of existing, unused capacity can eliminate
the need to procure new telephone systems

identifying exact line usage can greatly assist in
telephony migration projects, leading to both procurement savings and speeding
up decommissioning

For some of our customers, these benefits alone are a
sufficient business justification. The security benefits are just an added
bonus

Our aim is to provide cost-effective, practical solutions to
help you address the security issues and manage your telephony requirements
more effectively. We can supply both our own industry-leading software product
(Xiscan 6), a range of Managed Service offerings, or any combination in
between, tailored to suit your individual needs.